Noe vs. Doing: Who will prevail on Sunday’s AFC/NFC Championships?

Predicting the NFL weekend

On the day before the day before of this NFC and AFC Championship Sunday, let’s dive in to what our experts predict which teams will come out on top and keep their Super Bowl dreams alive.

The teams: To no surprise, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are once again in the AFC Championship game (their eighth consecutive) vs. MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes and the red hot Kansas City Chiefs. On the NFC side, wrecking ball Todd Gurley and the Los Angeles Rams travel to face MVP candidate and Father Time Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Two veteran QB’s vs. two “rookie” QB’s.

The experts:Host of the Brian Noe show, weekdays from 12 PM - 3 PM, Brian Noe. A lover of Mountain Dew Code Red and a delicious steak from Applebees, only eats Candy Corn in small quantities on Halloween, and an alum of Ball State University, he absolutely loves the NFL.

Host of Rip City Drive with Travis and Chad, you can catch Chad Doing watching his beloved Denver Broncos each NFL weekend while dreaming about meeting John Elway. He loves coffee and respects a good pair of Chuck Taylor’s. But most importantly, Chad is a Blazers enthusiast and his favorite player is Jusuf Nurkic.

NFC Championship

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

Kickoff time 12:05 PM (PT) on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Doing: New Orleans.

“It will come down to that Saints defense and their pass rush. They have the second best rush defense in the NFL and will slow down the two-headed monster of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson. This will force QB Jared Goff into mistakes enough for Drew Brees to get the job done.”

Noe: New Orleans.

“I’m rolling with the Saints in this one. They have a stout rush defense that will slow down Todd Gurley and CJ Anderson enough to put the game on Jared Goff's shoulders. That's not good for the Rams. Goff is shaky when defenses put pressure on him. The Rams won't have enough to outscore Drew Brees and a strong running game at home. Who Dat!”

AFC Championship

“The Patriots are one-in-four in their last four playoff games on the road and this will be no different. Tom Brady’s lack of playmakers on the outside won’t be enough to keep on pace with the Chiefs high-powered offensive weapons.”

Noe: New England.

“The Patriots will find a way to win this game due to a heavy dose of Tom Brady's precision mixed with a smashmouth rushing attack. Prepare to watch Chad DOING eat a picture of a crow and execute 62 other things after the "impossible" (a Patriots Super Bowl trip) becomes possible.”

What to watch for

Betting lines/records:

LAR (13-3) vs. NO (13-3): NO -3.5

NE (11-5) vs. KC (12-4): KC -3.0

What to know (NFC):

- The Rams and Saints met earlier in this season. New Orleans built a 35-14 lead in the second quarter before Los Angeles stormed back to tie it up, 35-35. New Orleans then sealed the deal at the hand of Drew Brees and Michael Thomas.

- Thomas recorded 12 catches for 211 yards and one touchdown in the game.

- Rams safety Aqib Talib did not play due to injury; he will play this Sunday.

What to know (AFC):

- In their first meeting, the Patriots defeated the Chiefs 43-40 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Despite K.C. quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing for four touchdowns, it was the Sony Michel show. The Patriots rookie running back had 24 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

- K.C.’s Tyreek “Cheetah” Hill also recorded seven receptions for 142 yards and three touchdowns.